1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates to an article of footwear and, more particularly, to an article of footwear having active and secure regions providing for a flexible, breathable, and comfortable shoe that remains appropriately secured to a foot during application of loads on the article.
2. Description of the Related Art
Articles of footwear, commonly referred to as shoes, have become increasingly specialized for intended uses. FIG. 1 illustrates an article of footwear according to the related art. The article of footwear may be, for example, a shoe 10 designed to be worn by a user engaged in climbing sports, such as indoor climbing or rock climbing. The shoe 10 includes an upper 20 and an outsole 30 attached to each other to define the general shape of the shoe 10. The upper 20 may be formed of several parts attached to each other to cover a foot and may include, for example, reinforced lips 70, a tongue 60 attached in at least a toe area and disposed between the reinforced lips 70 to cover a top of a foot, and eyelets 82 formed in the reinforced lips 70. Laces 80 may be threaded through the eyelets 82 of the reinforced lips 70 and extend over the tongue 60 to tighten and secure the upper 20 of the shoe 10 about a foot of a user.
The upper 20 may further include a rand 40 and a heel counter 50. The rand 40 may be disposed from a medial to a lateral side of the upper 20 about a toe region of the shoe 10 to protect the upper 20 from abrasion and provide slip-resistant traction for various climbing maneuvers. The rand 40 may extend around a heel region of the upper 20 and up the heel region of the upper 20. The heel counter 50 may be disposed from the medial to the lateral side of the upper 20 about a heel region of the shoe 10 and extend to at least partially cover the rand 40 to secure and support a heel of a foot disposed in the shoe 10. The heel counter 50 may be formed of stretch-resistant material. The upper 20 may be attached to an insole, not shown, by stitching or sewing or the upper 20 may be directly attached to the outsole 30 by stitching, sewing, adhesives, or the like. The outsole 30 may be made of an abrasion and slip-resistant rubber or the like.
The conventional climbing shoe 10 is designed to have a very tight fit such that a foot disposed therein does not move relative to the shoe 10. Therefore, it is generally preferred that the upper 20 for the shoe 10 be made of inelastic, stretch-resistant materials. Further, the material of the upper 20 is generally designed and selected to resist stretching so that a foot disposed inside the shoe 10 is securely held. The upper 20 may be formed of natural or synthetic materials, and most climbing shoes utilize a natural leather or a synthetic leather simulation, for example, split-grain leather, suede leather, resin-treated material, microfiber, and the like. Further, the upper 20 may be internally lined with additional natural or synthetic materials, for example, foam padding or the like.
However, the use of such materials as an upper 20 substantially decreases the breathability of the upper 20 and the shoe 10. When a wearer of the shoe 10 is under stress or exertion, such materials may contribute to perspiration of the wearer's foot disposed in the shoe 10, which may result in the wearer's foot slipping within the shoe 10. Moreover, the combination of such materials and perspiration result in the shoe 10, over time, smelling terrible, which is a well-known problem within the climbing community.
Further, because of the inelasticity or resistance to stretching of the conventional materials used to form the upper 20, movement of a foot disposed in the shoe 10 may be uncomfortable or even painful. For example, in moving through various climbing maneuvers, a climber may move the toes of the foot from a low tension state, to a medium tension state, and to a high tension state depending upon weight and forces applied to the feet and the features of the structure being climbed. Generally, because of the inelasticity of the conventional materials, climbing shoes are designed as low tension shoes, medium tension shoes, and high tension shoes. Such different types of shoes do not individually accommodate the various foot and toe positions used in climbing well such that different shoes may be preferred for different climbs, routes, surfaces, features, and the like.